It’s wonderful living in the temperate rain forest that is the Pacific Northwest, but the rainy days of winter do take their toll come January. Here’s a few tips to help you beat any winter blues that might be creeping up. Get Away This year we were fortunate to take a winter escape down to sunny San Diego for a few days of much needed

Since I am gardenless this season after our recent move, I am completely dependent on local farms and generous friends to help fill our harvest basket. I was delighted to discover a local non-profit called the Portland Fruit Tree Project just as harvest season began to roll in, which has kept us up to our eyeballs in fruit. This particular organization has been around for

Having regular chores was simply part of life growing up on my family’s urban farm. Everyone in our family, both big and small, had their jobs and it gave us all an immense sense of accomplishment to pitch in. Although Juniper is only two, she already has her share of chores on our homestead that are teaching her loads of lessons. Juniper “assists” us with

How is it that I have never posted my recipe for homemade laundry detergent? I started making my own homemade laundry detergent about a decade ago, tweaked the process over time, let the recipe evolve and even included it in my book Modern Homestead: Grow, Rasie, Create. It just takes a few simple ingredients and about thirty minutes to make a huge batch. Ingredients 1/2

Portland’s cold weather kept us housebound for several days. Time seemed to stop as the days went on and on, without the distraction of modern life. Instead, our attention was really focused on keeping everyone healthy and happy – inside and out. Every morning started with a visit to the chicken coops. Their roof had about 6″ of snow on top, but the girls were

Winter storms are the perfect excuse to hole up inside on these dark days over a bowl of slow-cooked roast beef. We recently purchased beef in bulk from a local farmer to help us spend more time lingering at the table this winter and less time running out to the grocery store. If you are a meat-eater, buying your meat in larger portions can be

The days are growing shorter as the winter solstice draws near. In my part of the world, the sun is rising close to 8 am and setting before 4:30 pm. It leaves very little time to see the garden, let alone work in it, on weekdays when we are scrambling to keep it all together. Thankfully the winter garden doesn’t need a careful eye. Regardless

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of sitting down in my kitchen for an interview with garden guru P. Allen Smith (well, I was in my kitchen but Allen was in Arkansas…). He was talking with me via Skype about my book, Modern Homestead, for his public radio program Garden Home. We chatted about our personal journeys with homesteading, keeping backyard poultry, what we are preserving

Every summer we flock to the high desert country around Bend, Oregon, for our version of a family vacation. After 30+ years of vacationing there, the trip always seems to mark a moment in time for me. I take morning walks when the deer are awake, but most people are still in bed. Juniper joined me in the Ergo, which for you non-parents-of-wee-ones is a

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Hello homesteader! I'm Renee Wilkinson and this is where I've chronicled my adventures in homesteading since 2007. Here you will find 1,000+posts on modern homestead projects, edible landscape design and the occasional life update. Read More…